Looking through the paper over breakfast on an August morning in 1984, I came across an ad for a 1971 BSA Lightning. I already owned a couple of British bikes and had decided that if I bought any more there had to be some common element among them - an underlying rationale or theme, if you will.
Photo: Stephen Finerty

Looking through the paper over breakfast on an August morning in...

Inspection of the bike that same day revealed about 4,000 miles on the odometer, of which 2,500 had been accumulated as it was towed on the rear wheel from Minnesota behind the previous owner's car.
Photo: Stephen Finerty

Inspection of the bike that same day revealed about 4,000 miles on...

Except for the paint color, and an awful "sissy bar" on the back, it was completely original.
Photo: Stephen Finerty

Except for the paint color, and an awful "sissy bar" on the back,...

When I had given it a wash, removed the bar, installed a new battery, cleaned out the carburetors, changed the oil, lubed the chain and checked the air in the tires, I took it out for a spin. After a warm-up, I peeled onto a 101 on-ramp and gave it the stick - and before I hit fourth gear, I knew I had a sweetie.
Photo: Stephen Finerty

When I had given it a wash, removed the bar, installed a new...

My partner, Shirley, and I have made it a point to take an extended tour each year since 1985. Many have involved participation in foreign rallies, and all have featured secondary roads, where the BSA is in its element.
Photo: Stephen Finerty

My partner, Shirley, and I have made it a point to take an extended...

Not all our trips have been taken on the BSA, but in addition to numerous rides up and down the coast and over the Sierra, we've ridden it across the USA four times, taken in little bits of Canada, shipped it ahead and traveled through Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland (twice), Italy, Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand (twice) and the U.K./ Isle of Man (four times).
Photo: Stephen Finerty

Not all our trips have been taken on the BSA, but in addition to...

At this point, my bike is pushing 70,000 miles, and it really deserves to be restored. In fact, a makeover is still on the horizon, although that may be delayed because Norway beckons in 2013.
Photo: Stephen Finerty

Don Danmeier, 72, was born in Minnesota, raised in Southern California and moved to the Bay Area in 1964. He maintains a forensic and renovation architectural practice in Novato, and resides there with his partner of 35 years, Shirley Soucie.

Looking through the paper over breakfast on an August morning in 1984, I came across an ad for a 1971 BSA Lightning. I already owned a couple of British bikes and had decided that if I bought any more there had to be some common element among them - an underlying rationale or theme, if you will.

So much for being trained as an architect - or maybe not.I remember doing the same thing with sandbox toys as a little kid.

So I had settled on the idea of sticking to British "last edition" models. British, because they were familiar to me, and "last editions" because that was what the bikes out in the garage already were. And let's face it - later ones would be the most practical proposition in terms of actually getting ridden. One more couldn't hurt, could it?

Inspection of the bike that same day revealed about 4,000 miles on the odometer, of which 2,500 had been accumulated as it was towed on the rear wheel from Minnesota behind the previous owner's car. Except for the paint color, and an awful "sissy bar" on the back, it was completely original.

I took it home in the back of my truck. When I had given it a wash, removed the bar, installed a new battery, cleaned out the carburetors, changed the oil, lubed the chain and checked the air in the tires, I took it out for a spin. After a warm-up, I peeled onto a 101 on-ramp and gave it the stick - and before I hit fourth gear, I knew I had a sweetie.

My partner, Shirley, and I have made it a point to take an extended tour each year since 1985. Many have involved participation in foreign rallies, and all have featured secondary roads, where the BSA is in its element. The freeway/autobahn/autostrada is not where you meet friendly people in picturesque villages ("Here, park it in our garage. I'll move the Volvo.")

Not all our trips have been taken on the BSA, but in addition to numerous rides up and down the coast and over the Sierra, we've ridden it across the USA four times, taken in little bits of Canada, shipped it ahead and traveled through Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland (twice), Italy, Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand (twice) and the U.K./ Isle of Man (four times). And for the four to six weeks that we are abroad each time, the cost is offset by having economical, familiar transportation and no rental fees.

What is a BSA, anyway? There was a time in the 1950s when the Birmingham Small Arms company could boast that "one in four is a BSA." They were advertising motorcycles, not the armaments that had been the impetus for the founding of the company in 1855.

At this point, my bike is pushing 70,000 miles, and it really deserves to be restored. In fact, a makeover is still on the horizon, although that may be delayed because Norway beckons in 2013.

I've spent far more on shipping fees than the bike is worth, but the adventures have been wonderful and the memories are priceless. If you ever get the chance to lope about the leafy lanes of England on an old British motorcycle, you will immediately understand what I mean.

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